The Daisies

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“I’m telling you, he’s here! I saw him.”

“Bull,” says Carly, not even bothering to look away from the mirror. “There’s just no way it was him. No way. You’re a loon.”

She clicks the lid back onto her lipstick and pops her lips a couple of times, much more concerned with getting her face perfect before all the girls are called into the studio than with anything Marie has to say.

“I swear to God I saw him! I saw Jerry Lewis out there in the corridor, as plain as the nose on your face.”

“Oh come on, Marie. Why would he even be here, huh? What for?” Carly catches her eye in the mirror, looking exasperated. “And by the way, you look pretty dumb getting mad in that costume.”

Marie looks down at herself. True, it is kind of hard to make a convincing argument about anything while dressed up as a sexy daisy, but all the girls are wearing the same thing and she doesn’t really think she looks any dumber than anybody else. A lifetime of dance training, for this. Good grief.

“You’re a sap, that’s what. Apart from that one movie Dean was in that Jerry directed, they haven’t even worked together for, what, twelve years now? Thirteen?”

“‘That one movie’? The Croupier was beautiful, Carl, it won Oscars!”

“Okay, okay, it was a good movie. But it’s not like Dean needs help with his TV show for God’s sake, especially not from some big-shot director bossing everyone around.” She picks up her hairbrush and sets to work on her long curls. “They probably don’t even see each other anymore.”

“Well, I think they do and I’m telling you I saw him. He was wearing a red sweater, and he was walking with a cane just like he does when you see him on the talk shows. He was out in the corridor with that guy who works for Dean. It was him.”

As she speaks, the dressing room door opens and Brandy sneaks in, waving a fresh pack of cigarettes she’s just bummed off a stagehand.

“Got ‘em!” She says. “Score, huh? He gave me the whole damn pack. What are you talking about, who’s out in the corridor?”

“Marie thinks she saw Jerry Lewis.”

“I did see him!”

“Oh, yeah, he’s here,” Brandy says, casually. She drops down sideways into a make-up chair, long legs thrown over one of its arms, and starts casually unwrapping the cigarettes. “I just saw him, he went into Dean’s dressing room with Mack.”

“See!” Marie says triumphantly. “I told you!”

“Well I’ll be damned,” says Carly, setting the hairbrush down and turning to face the others. “But what’s he doing here?”

“Well, it’s probably… you know.”

“No,” says Carly. “What? What do we know?”

“The rumor about them,” Brandy says, lighting her cigarette. “You know.” She raises her eyebrows and blows a meaningful cloud of smoke in their direction. Carly and Marie exchange looks, equally nonplussed.

“The rumor that they’re… you seriously don’t know?” Brandy swings her legs off the chair arm, sits up straight and takes a big drag on her cigarette “Oh boy, are you two in for a treat! Gather round children, let me hip ya to the tea.”

Carly rolls her eyes but can’t resist drawing her chair closer. Marie sinks to the floor, riveted, and sits cross-legged at Brandy’s feet. Brandy grins at them, delighted to have some serious gossip to impart.

“Well, the rumor is that… they’re together. As in, together together.”

Marie’s mouth falls open. Carly just laughs.

“Bull. Shit.” She shakes her head. “Nope, no way. That’s absurd, Brandy. Who told you that?”

“Steve told me. You know sound guy Steve. He’s known them since the Colgate days, you remember that show? But the whispers have been going round for years, I’d heard ‘em already. That’s why I’m shocked you didn’t know.” She sits back and takes another drag. Marie gazes up at her, rapt.

“Do you think it’s true?” She asks.

“Sure, I believe Steve.”

“Then I think it’s true too.”

“Well I don’t,” says Carly, folding her arms. “You’ll be telling me next that Cary Grant’s gay, you nut!”

Brandy looks at Carly like she’s about to say something, then thinks better of it. Marie’s still gazing up at her with a faraway look in her eye.

“Brandy, what exactly did Steve say? Have they been together a long time?” She asks. “Gee, I remember when they were on TV when I was a little kid. I loved them, they were so funny. I always wished that someday I could have a buddy like that. Like the other half, you know?”

“Aww,” Brandy says, leaning down and affectionately stroking her hair. “Precious child.” She thinks for a moment. “I don’t think anyone knows when they really got together. Steve reckons it was a few years before Jerry’s accident. That was ’53 right?”

“Oh boy, I was so little, I don’t remember. I just remember suddenly they weren’t on TV anymore and I was sad about it.”

“I remember. It was the year I turned ten, so yeah, 1953. Boy, I had a doozy of a birthday party that year.” says Carly. “I remember my mom and her friends talking about the accident; it was in all the papers, the doctors saying he might never walk again. Then they vanished for, wow, maybe a year? After that Dean would be on TV singing sometimes.” She looks wistful for a moment. “He looked lopsided without Jerry, at first. I remember that. And kind of sad”

“So, if Steve says it was a few years before,” says Marie, looking thoughtful. “Then they got together while they were still working as a team, right Brandy?”

Carly just rolls her eyes. Marie wonders if she ever gets dizzy, she does it so much. Then she feels a bit mean for thinking it.

“Seriously, Dean though?” Carly says. “Are you kidding? He flirts with the girls like it’s going out of style!”

“But, think about it Carl: does he? That’s his reputation sure, but really think about it. Does Dean actually flirt with us, or do we flirt with him?”

“Well, I guess…” she lapses into silence for a moment, searching for some memory that’ll prove her point. Nothing immediately springs to mind. She can picture Dean laughing with the girls, making sure everyone’s happy, being very funny and gentle, but nothing more.

“He’s the sweetest guy in the world, sure.” Brandy continues, almost as if she’d read her mind. “And he’s so kind when someone has a crush on him, which is always. But doesn’t he seem sort of… disinterested? And can you name one single girl here who he’s actually picked up? I can’t.”

“Oh, yeah, sure he is,” says Brandy, “And have you seen a picture of him with his wife lately?”

“Well, hell, I don’t know…”

“I’ll tell you now, you haven’t. Because it’s not a real marriage anymore, it's an arrangement.” Brandy shrugs as if this was as the most obvious thing in the world. “She lives in this gorgeous house in Bel Air and he lives out on the coast somewhere secret with Dean.”

“Well I’ll be damned.” Carly says again.

“Now you believe me?”

“Let’s say I’m coming around.” Carly distractedly picks up her hairbrush again and turns back to the mirror, looking thoughtful as she brushes. The jigsaw pieces in her head are slotting together while she works.

Marie has a hundred more questions she wants to ask, but before she can voice any of them the speaker in the corner of their dressing room crackles into life.

“Call for all dancers to Studio 4 please, all dancers to Studio 4.”

“Ooh, showtime!” Brandy stubs out her cigarette, stands and turns to the mirror to straighten out her sparkly green minidress. She picks up her ridiculous petal headband from the counter but can’t quite bring herself to put it on yet. Looking at Carly and Marie, it seems that they can’t either. “What we do for art, huh girls?” She says ruefully.

“Art and a paycheck, honey,” Carly replies, fixing the offending thing onto her head. “Art and a paycheck. C’mon girls.”

Carly leads the way out of the room and Marie follows, but she isn’t thinking about art or a paycheck right now. She isn’t thinking about their number, or the steps or the dorky outfit. She’s thinking about whether she’ll look at Dean differently when she sees him again. She’s wondering if Jerry’s still here, and if she’ll catch another glimpse of him. She’s thinking back to those two black-and-white boys on the TV screens of her childhood, with their baggy tuxedos and their chemistry that fizzed off the screen so strong that even her baby heart recognised it. She’s thinking, and they loved each other all along? She’s thinking about how love is alchemy. She’s wishing that someday she could have a buddy like that. Like the other half, you know?

I love this alternative universe. So interesting to explore the big( what if) and to see their secretive relationship through the eyes of the people around them. The idea of Jarry with a limp retired from acting and being together with Dean, visiting him and Dean being faithful. I would love to see this relationship unfold in a slow burn. Extra kudos for this amazing story 🙏

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YESS!!! I adore stories that look at a couple from an outsiders perspective, I think it adds a beautiful dynamic to their relationship, its cool to imagine we had peers back in the day that saw it how we'd of seen it you know? xxx

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Thank you so much for this lovely comment! Yes, I love outsider pov stories too and I know what you mean, there's something so nice about thinking that someone back then might've shared our perspective. Thank you again, I really appreciate your kind words <3

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Arrgggh, I commented and then the Internet died! Ugh. Okay, let me see if I can get it right again...

-The backstory to this, Jerry's accident, the film they made together - it's such a lovely idea!! And interesting to think if Jerry had, for whatever reason, been unable to continue with the partnership, what that would have meant for their professional relationship, let alone their personal one. I like this idea very much, even if it does mean out little disaster boy gets injured!-"“You’ll be telling me next that Cary Grant’s gay, you nut!” / Brandy looks at Carly like she’s about to say something, then thinks better of it." - Heee, I like this bit so much. It's almost as if Brandy's weighing it up, like she could drop that bomb too, but probably learning about Dean and Jerry is enough for today. Brilliant.-“He looked lopsided without Jerry, at first. I remember that. And kind of sad” - OUCH. This part. Just... this part.-I love the girls' discussion about whether or not Dean actually flirts with them. AU or not, this part is real.-"She’s thinking back to those two black-and-white boys on the TV screens of her childhood, with their baggy tuxedos and their chemistry that fizzed off the screen so strong that even her baby heart recognised it." - Carly is me. Gosh, just the imagery here, it's so clear and so right. I love this part so much.

I love this idea for an AU so much. In fact it makes me a little sad that it isn't real. But I suppose that's testament to how beautifully-written and -constructed it is...Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.<3